SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Coast Guard cautions boaters and people conducting recreational water activities to stay clear from the established safety zone and crane barge worksite that is scheduled to conduct vessel removal operations, starting Tuesday, for the grounded sailing vessel Obsession from a reef just off Flamenco Beach.
The safety zone consists of a 100-yard perimeter around the sailing vessel Obsession and will be in place until removal operations are completed sometime next week. There will be a Coast Guard vessel on-scene enforcing the safety zone and guiding any boating traffic or people conducting recreational activities in the area to stay clear from the work site.
“We would like to remind everyone that there will be a safety zone around the active worksite during the vessel removal operations for the sailing vessel Obsession,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jamie Testa, Federal On-Scene Coordinator Representative for the case. “There will be a lot of sensitive and complex movements of heavy equipment, including diving operations near the reef area. In this final stage, we must continue to do everything possible to keep people and responders safe and to protect the reef and marine environment from any further impacts.”
Once on scene, the Resolve Marine 400-ton shear-leg barge, 164-foot in length and 54-foot wide, will be maneuvered in place, with the assistance of a tugboat, to the first of three planned positions needed for crews to prepare the rigging required to conduct a clean lift of the vessel from the reef.
Upon completion of removal operations, the Resolve Marine barge will deliver the sailing vessel to a facility in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
Pending marine weather interruptions to the established work plan, removal operations are estimated to last for five to six days. The safety zone will remain in place until the completion of operations.
“Conducting safe removal operations and protecting the environment are our top priorities,” said Testa. “As we all continue to work diligently to maximize our time on-scene, we are monitoring the movement of developing disturbances in the Atlantic that, if they impact our area of operations, may require us to adjust our plans to best ensure the safety of people and the marine environment.”
Following the vessel’s removal, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has contracted with Sea Ventures to conduct further underwater assessments to evaluate the full extent of the impacts to the reef and the sensitive marine environment.
Resolve Marine and Clean Harbors, LLC crews completed the bulk removal of approximately 1,500 gallons of diesel from the four fuel tanks and a day tank onboard the sailing vessel, July 31, 2024. Despite completing the fuel removal, responders estimate a substantial pollution threat remains aboard the vessel Obsession. The amount of remaining oil products and hazardous materials are difficult to quantify due to the machinery, tanks (including a hydraulic tank) and access hatches being completely submerged or inaccessible.
Throughout removal operations, the Incident Command’s Environmental Unit will continue to monitor and plan to provide the best available guidance and measures that will be required to protect the sensitive environment and susceptible endangered species and critical habitat. Throughout the response, personnel from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted preliminary underwater assessments to determine the impacts on the reef caused by the vessel grounding. Thus far, they have been able to recover and safeguard various species of live corals that will be used to rehabilitate the impacted area.
The ongoing emergency Endangered Species Act consultation process helped identify and develop best management practices to protect species and critical habitats of Green, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, and Hawksbill Sea turtles; giant manta ray, oceanic whitetip shark, scalloped hammerhead, Nassau grouper, Queen conch; and boulder, elkhorn, lobed star, mountainous star, pillar, staghorn, and rough cactus corals. There have been no reported impacts to marine life in the area, pending the reef damage assessment.
The Coast Guard federalized pollution response efforts and established an Incident Command, Friday, for the vessel Obsession, a 72-foot sailing catamaran that ran hard aground on a reef July 21, 2024. The established Incident Command includes an environmental unit comprised by subject matter expert representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, who have been coordinating and collaborating in this effort since the day of the incident.
The vessel Obsession reportedly was traveling with four people onboard from Puerto Rico to the British Virgin Islands when it ran aground during a stop in Culebra, Puerto Rico. No injuries were reported from the grounding.
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